The Rat King Era
by madame.alexandra
Summary: Orchid Thief Universe: A collection of stories that follow Kelly Gibbs & Jenny Shepard on their unending path to overcome and cope with the damage inflicted by sexual violence. Spans a multitude of genres, really (fluff, humor, angst, romance, friendship). Myriad of tags. Pairing is Jibbs at most points.
1. Introduction

**INTRODUCTION.**

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I am sure there are a fair few of you that remember a little AU/crossover I did between _NCIS_ and _Law&Order: Special Victims Unit_. It's a story I consider to be one of the most challenging I've written, and it's also one of my personal favorites.

I originally posted a tag called _The Rat King Era_, and at the end of that tag, I remarked that I might re-visit this universe from time to time in a collection. I have several stories in me head concerning these characters and the events they faced, and so I've decided to go ahead and make _The Rat King Era_ a collection of one shots.

The timeline will range from January 1992 (when _The Orchid Thief _ended) to perhaps 2010 (the end of _The Orchid Thief_, when Kelly found out she was going to Brown University) or 2011/2012—simply depending on the inspiration that strikes me.

So far my ideas from tags range from the happy (such as Jenny & Gibbs' wedding) to the weighty (such as Elizabeth fully coming to understand what happened as she gets older).

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**Title Explanation:**  
In _The Orchid Thief_, Kelly refers to Logan Grey (her rapist) as "The Rat King" (an illusion to the _The Nutcracker_). Thus, this anthology of tags deals with the aftermath and effects (mostly psychological) of the event.

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That being said, let me take a moment to say **sexual violence is unacceptable and unjustifiable in any imaginable facet**. Male or female, old or young, virgin or slut, gay or straight, **no one deserves to have their sexual autonomy stolen from them**.

Rape is a violent crime of power and control, and each and every one of us should fight against it every single day of our lives. It isn't a subject would should be silent on. **The victim is never at fault**, and the perpetrator should always be brought to stand trial for their actions.

**So speak out.**

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**Dedication:**

This collection is dedicated to **Nina,** because the original story is one of her favorites, and **Alivia,** who will always be my little protege.

* * *

**_-Alexandra_**


	2. Coping Mechanisms

_**Plot Synopsis:** Kelly struggles to cope with the way in which she's handled sexual violence over the years after a friend asks her why she's never acted out by doing something drastic. Jenny is there to talk her through it and provide personal insight-as well as a somewhat amusing little anecdote about how a certain Leroy Jethro Gibbs ended up with a black eye on his honey moon. _

* * *

**Coping Mechanisms **

**September 2008.**

Kelly Gibbs walked out of her bedroom carrying a mountain of books and loose-leaf paper, holding a well-worn pencil between her teeth, and carefully balancing a calculator in the crook of her arm. She set everything down rather loudly on the kitchen table and removed the pencil from her mouth, slipping it behind her ear.

She was frustrated with the silence in the house and she hated being home alone. She couldn't listen to music while she did Chemistry; it resulted in horrendously wrong answers.

She decided to turn the coffee maker on to compromise and add some white noise to the quiet. She wasn't used to her family being gone when she got home from ballet, but Dad was with Lizzy at a soccer tournament this weekend, and it seemed Jenny had gotten caught up at work.

Kelly brewed the coffee without any intention of drinking it, and simply enjoyed the smell and the noise. She picked up the telephone and put it next to her cell phone on the table, taking a seat in the open. Her dog came trotting over, thumped his tail, and sat contentedly next to her when she scratched his ears.

She tilted her head at the golden retriever.

"Will you keep me company while I convert all these moles into grams?" she murmured, puckering her lips. Machiavelli perked his ears at her and thumped his tail some more.

Kelly giggled and crinkled her nose, picking up her pencil.

She loved Chemistry, but she didn't feel like doing it today.

She had just resigned herself to actually beginning one of her problems when the dog darted off towards the door, prancing around happily. A moment later, Kelly heard the door being opened, and the sound of Jenny's voice cooing at the dog.

"Kelly?" called Jenny.

"In here," Kelly answered. "Did you bring—"

Jenny rounded the corner and grinned, holding up a bag of Chinese food. Kelly lifted her arms to the ceiling, chucking her pencil away, and pretended to thank a higher power. With Lizzy out of the house, they were free to devour fast, unhealthy, greasy, _delicious_ food without hearing a single lecture about it.

Though where an eleven-year-old got all of her information about and preferences for organic food and healthy eating habits, none of them knew.

Jenny collapsed in a chair near Kelly and distributed boxes of noodles and rice. The room was filled with the aroma of Asian cuisine, and Kelly breathed a sigh of relief, carefully pushing her Chemistry textbook away from her.

"What do you want to drink?" Jenny asked, after munching a few pieces of shrimp off of her chopsticks. The redhead stood up, and Kelly shrugged.

"I'll finish the rest of that lemonade, I guess," she said, having no particular craving. She swallowed as Jenny went into the kitchen and went on: "I made you some coffee!"

"Sweet," Jenny answered, and when she returned with a mug of coffee and a glass of lemonade, Kelly pretended to gag, shaking her head at her stepmother's choice of beverage. Jenny could—and insisted upon—drinking coffee with just about everything.

Kelly smiled and leaned back in her chair, absorbing herself in Chinese food. She felt Jenny watching her. Sighing and glaring at the woman through her lashes, Kelly tilted her head back, cracked her neck, and stared at her head on.

"What?" she asked.

"I could ask the same of you," Jenny retorted, shrugging. She tilted her head at all of the homework. "What's wrong, Kelly?"

"Nothing."

"You do your homework in here when something is wrong."

Kelly frowned, poking at her noodles. Jenny knew her too well. At the same time, Kelly wasn't angry—and she didn't mind Jenny's probing. She wouldn't have ventured out of her room if she wanted to keep to herself tonight. The brunette shrugged a little and took another bite, chewing thoughtfully before she swallowed.

"Nothing's wrong," she reiterated honestly. "That's it, though, _nothing's_ wrong. I guess. That doesn't make sense, but," Kelly trailed off. She shrugged again. "I don't know. I'm fine."

Jenny arched an eyebrow, staring at her stepdaughter. She pursed her lips and set her food down, leaning back and crossing her legs at the ankle. She stretched a little, letting her muscles unwind and loosening some of the tension SVU left.

"Kelly," Jenny said, laughing a little. "Did someone hit you in the head?"

Kelly smiled, tilting her head up in amusement. She shook her head, poking in the noodles again.

"Hannah and I were talking after ballet, on the metro," she said thoughtfully, meeting Jenny's eyes. "She's upset because her little sister is going through this over-dramatic phase and thinks everything is the end of the world, and she acts like their mother is out to get her. Hannah can't understand it, because they're both spoiled," Kelly explained.

"Hannah's father is the neurosurgeon, right?" Jenny asked.

"No, that's Kirsten. Hannah's father is the ambassador," Kelly corrected.

"Ah," Jenny nodded. It was difficult to keep up with the glitzy, high profile job most of the parent's of Kelly's school friends held. Kelly was on scholarship at a private school in Georgetown; most of her classmates came from wealthy, if not famous, families.

"Anyway, Hannah just said it was annoying because her sister had nothing to be so angry about and then," Kelly stopped, tilting her head. "Well, then she sort of bluntly asked me why I'm," Kelly paused again, her cheeks flushing. "She asked me why I'm not fucked up."

Jenny raised her eyebrows, pausing with noodles halfway to her mouth. She laughed slightly.

"Fucked up?" she repeated.

Kelly flushed again, squirming a little at the word. She bit her lip in a sort of bashful smile and nodded.

"Yeah, her exact words 'fucked up'," Kelly confirmed. She shrugged, and pushed away her carton of food. "It just really threw me off. It made me think. I can't _stop_thinking."

Jenny chewed slowly.

"Well," she spoke delicately through a mouthful. "What did Hannah mean by 'fucked up'? That's kind of vague," the redhead pointed out.

Kelly sighed and shifted uncomfortably.

"She…She means…I mean," Kelly changed tune. "I mean, when you think of rape victims, you think of terrible aftermath—you know, drug abuse, cutting, sexual promiscuity, alcohol," Kelly bit her lip again, and then gestured at Jenny. "You were a prostitute, right?"

"And a damn good one, too," Jenny retorted dryly, keeping her eyes downcast. A distasteful look crossed her face and she nodded reluctantly.

"So," Kelly tried, frowning. "So what Hannah was asking…what I'm asking, now that she made me think about it is," Kelly sighed and swallowed hard. "Why aren't I fucked up?" she asked seriously. She shrugged. "Why don't I…_do_ anything?"

Jenny swallowed and took a sip of coffee, leaning forward.

"Do anything," she said slowly, feeling it out. "Like what?" she prompted. "Like what I did?"

"Like…cut myself," Kelly ventured uncomfortably. "Or starve myself, or drink, or shoot up. I don't do anything."

Jenny's cheeks whitened slightly and her eyes brightened with concern. She reached out and took Kelly's fingers holding them gently and tightly.

"You're not thinking about doing any of that, honey," she said imperatively, with questioning eyes.

"_God_, no," Kelly assured her softly. She bit her lip, looking uncertain and confused. "That's the thing, Jenny. I _don't_ think about it. I mean, I do, if something triggers it, if someone mentions sex or criminals or court, I think 'I was raped a long time ago', but the way I think is so detached…it scares me," Kelly furrowed her brow. "Does that even make sense? I get scared that it doesn't affect me enough. Shouldn't I be a fucked up mess? Shouldn't I think about it all the time, shouldn't I be angry or depressed?"

"Do you want to be those things?" Jenny asked neutrally.

Kelly laughed in disbelief.

"No, not at all," she exclaimed.

Jenny nodded. She stroked Kelly's knuckle with her index finger, thinking about what her stepdaughter was struggling with. Jenny didn't relate; the aftermath of her own sexual abuse had left her so, in Kelly and Hannah's words, _fucked up_ that should couldn't imagine ever dealing with it in a healthy way.

Kelly shrugged and looked away, resting her elbow on the table and glancing away for a minute. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and frowned, looking back at Jenny.

"It feels like a bad nightmare," she said. "Sometimes, I feel like it didn't happen. I start thinking that I should act out. I wonder what's wrong with me that enables me to be happy when something so traumatic happened to me and," she paused, her words catching in her throat. "I think that if I don't think about it, if I don't act out, then I'm not healthy, because I'm not dealing with it," she explained.

Kelly fell silent and gave a groan of frustration.

"I don't understand if I'm healthy, if you and Daddy and therapists and Lizzy have helped me so much that I'm healthy, or if I'm in a haze of denial and it's all going to crash down on me and destroy me in an instant."

Jenny nodded, slowly digesting the information and giving herself time to think about it. She leaned back, pursing her lips thoughtfully and crossing her arms.

"You were eight," she said hesitantly. "You were young when Grey raped you," she said. Kelly flinched immediately and Jenny gave her an apologetic look; she didn't apologize. "You didn't have a concept of sexuality. I don't think you…understood the kind of violence you endured, you get me? I remember you knew what sex was, and you knew how to blow the whistle on inappropriate contact, but you were too young to _get it_," Jenny paused. "You were more resilient. It was easier to help you; you had an educated support system—and you got closure, when your father shot Grey."

Jenny licked her lips and narrowed her eyes at Kelly.

"There were a lot of circumstances surrounding your case that ensured you wouldn't go to extremes to heal yourself; you had your sister and your father to hold you when you cried," she explained.

"And you," Kelly protested.

"Well, I tried," Jenny said dryly. "But honey, I'm more fucked up than you'll ever be."

Kelly grinned.

"I don't think you're fucked up," she said sweetly.

"We're our own worst critics," Jenny said shrewdly. "Let's cool it with the f-word, your father's going to sense we used it so much and he'll have a heart attack."

Kelly snickered and reached for her food again. She started to dig into it. Jenny looked at her stepdaughter thoughtfully. She chose her words carefully and crossed her legs, opening her mouth to speak.

"Kelly, it could happen," she said honestly.

Kelly kept her eyes on her food.

"I know."

"You know what I mean?"

"I think," Kelly answered, glancing up through her eyelashes. "You mean I could fall apart someday?"

Jenny shrugged, and nodded.

"Your father sits around and waits for it to happen."

"Daddy's always treated me like I'm breakable," Kelly answered bitterly. "He doesn't treat Liz that way."

"Lizzy is indestructible," Jenny said with a laugh.

"I'm not a China doll," Kelly protested, irritation written on her face.

"Oh, Kelly, he just worries about you. He knows every detail of how I handled it, and that scares him," Jenny explained.

"I'm not handling it like you did," Kelly pointed out. "I don't do anything," she reiterated seriously.

"You say you don't do anything," Jenny said fairly. "But that's because you're considering doing something to be negative—the cutting, the alcohol, et cetera," she explained. "I think you _do_ act out. You are a _neurotic_ perfectionist, Kelly, I've seen you break down in tears over an A _minus,_" Jenny paused. "And I think you do that because you want people to think that you don't have flaws, because," Jenny stopped uncertainly, wondering if she should just stop. She plunged on, "because I think you see yourself as flawed, Kel," she said honestly.

Kelly fell silent. She ate her food, casting her eyes down again, and frowned, her brow knitting together.

"I don't want anyone to know I was raped," she said shortly.

"You see it as a flaw," said Jenny carefully.

"I don't think it was my _fault_," Kelly protested severely. "Yeah, though, I see it as a flaw, or like, an ugly scar or something. It's like something dirty that won't come off in the shower," she explained, irritated.

Jenny snapped her fingers.

Kelly reached up and swiped her palm under her eye quickly, taking a deep breath.

Jenny leaned forward.

"Kelly, it's been—it's been easy, so to speak, for you to cope because you've only been really coping in the abstract," Jenny said earnestly. "You were a kid. Your sexuality wasn't a factor, but you're in high school now. Being raped—this thing you see as a flaw—could become a very real trauma when you start thinking about maybe having sex," Jenny arched an eyebrow a little smugly. "_Are_ you thinking about having sex?"

"No," Kelly answered. "I mean, I am _now_," she rolled her eyes. "Not in the immediate future," she decided. She looked nervous suddenly. "I don't have a reason to be at the moment," she explained. "But," she bit her lip. "Jenny, when I think about sex, I just think about…how much it _hurt_," she said quietly. "I feel like I can't breathe for a minute, and then I think about violence, and then I _panic_, because I don't think I can ever have a relationship."

Jenny nodded earnestly, pursing her lips.

"Yes," she agreed. "And then you feel like an object, and you're afraid to be touched because you'll lose your control," she added.

"Maybe?" Kelly responded uncertainly. "I've never _had_ sex," she reminded Jenny. "For me, it's more that…when people mention rape, it's in hush-hush voices, like it's a dirty subject. So _I_ feel like a dirty subject."

Jenny tilted her head thoughtfully.

"I think it would be good for you to start seeing Dr. Huang again," she offered smartly, referencing her SVU colleague, a man who had seen Kelly through three years of therapy when she was younger.

Kelly picked up her glass of lemonade and ran her finger around the ring thoughtfully, taking a drink slowly. She looked down into the glass and started running her finger around it again, tilting her head back and forth slowly.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Anything," Jenny answered automatically.

"It's _really_ personal," Kelly warned, eyes still downcast. "It's kind of awkward."

"It's what I'm here for, Kelly," Jenny assured gently.

"Okay," muttered Kelly under her breath. "So, when you," Kelly blushed. "When you and my dad have sex," she forced out, "do you, I mean, is it fine? Like, is it normal? Or do you freak out, like, does it bring back the trauma?"

Jenny leaned back in her seat again, uncrossing her legs and crossing them again. She sat silently, considering how she should answer in a way that wouldn't scandalize Jethro or scare Kelly, but would be honest. She'd always promised herself she'd be up front with Kelly.

"If I'm not on top," Jenny answered carefully, "or if we're not in bed, I have flashbacks sometimes—"

"_What_? What do you mean if you're _not in bed_? Where else do you guys—you know what. _Never mind_. Don't answer that," Kelly interrupted, and then stopped, her cheeks flushing even pinker than before. She waved her hand with an embarrassed smile and fell silent again.

Jenny smiled indulgently before going on.

"Jethro is…understanding. He's good about making me feel safe and in control," she said slowly. "And I love him. Love makes a difference."

"But sometimes you still freak out."

"Sometimes."

"What happens when you freak out?"

"I start crying," Jenny admitted uncomfortably, looking annoyed with herself. "I won't let him touch me, even if he's trying to comfort," she hesitated, and looked at Kelly frankly. "There have been a couple of times that I've hit him."

Kelly's eyebrows shot up gleefully.

"_Really_?" she asked, smirking. "You hit him? Like, how hard?"

"Blacked his eye once," Jenny admitted. "On our honeymoon."

Kelly gasped.

"He told Lizzy he missed a _football_ you threw at him!"

"It wouldn't have been _appropriate_ to tell a six-year-old his wife sucker-punched him while—"

Kelly held up a hand and flinched.

"Don't say anything, please, I get it, I know what you were doing with my father," she said, a pained look on her face. She sank down in her chair a little and cackled in amusement, her mood lightened. Kelly rested a hand over her abdomen and sighed, lifting her eyes to the ceiling. "You pack a _punch_, Jenny, that eye was black for a _week_."

"Like I said," Jenny said quietly. "Your father is good about it."

Kelly took another sip of her lemonade, balancing it in one hand. She looked at her stepmother thoughtfully.

"What if I'm with a guy someday," she asked slowly, "and I freak out and he…doesn't understand?"

"It will hurt," Jenny said bluntly. "And you'll get scared and angry, and you'll have to talk about it and work through it."

"What if he can't be bothered to listen?" Kelly asked in a small voice.

"Then he isn't worth it," Jenny answered simply. "This is something you probably can't deal with until you've been in some sort of situation that makes it a reality," she said honestly, "but we can talk about it whenever you need to."

Kelly made a face and squinted, arching an eyebrow.

"Even if I have awkward questions to ask you?"

Jenny laughed, tilting her head back.

"Even if you have awkward questions," she said pleasantly. She sat forward, her green eyes sparkling. "Hey, I'll buy you a pair of Jimmy Choos if you casually mention to your father that I told you about his infamous black eye," she bribed.

"Jenny, I seriously don't think I can mention that to Dad," Kelly answered seriously, sticking her tongue out in disgust.

"Jimmy. Choo," Jenny said persuasively. "Brand. New."

Kelly bit her lip. She shook her head and hid her face.

"I'll try," she acquiesced into her palms, biting her lip. Jenny smiled wickedly, gleefully looking forward to the expression that would situate itself on her prudish husband's face. She pulled her hands down and set her lemonade glass aside, ignoring her homework for once.

"Dad's going to think something's wrong if I start seeing Huang again," she said, frowning slightly.

"I'll deal with him," Jenny said dismissively.

"Are you going to cold-cock him?" Kelly asked wryly.

Jenny balled her hand into a fist and smacked it into her other palm. She wriggled her eyebrows suggestively and Kelly giggled, covering her mouth. She shook her head in disbelief and sighed, relaxing.

"What are you going to tell Hannah?" Jenny asked.

"Hmm?" Kelly asked, tilting her head.

"She asked why you aren't fucked up," Jenny said with a shrug. "What are you going to tell her?"

Kelly pursed her lips thoughtfully and looked over at her pile of Chemistry books. She smirked smugly and shrugged, looking back at Jenny.

"I'll tell her that if she was as _fucked up_ as I am, she might be as good at Chem as I am."

* * *

-_I think perhaps I may leave this open as a collection of bits and pieces that tag to 'The Orchid Thief'. Personally, it's one of my favorite pieces, and being able to explore some aspects of it in some tags save me from having to put Director/Canon Jenny in situations that are overdone or unrealistic. Not to mention I quite enjoy Kelly, and Machiavelli. ;) **[Original post-note]**_

_Reviews are much appreciated!_

_-Alexandra_


	3. Dates

_**Plot**__** Synopsis:**__ A year and a half after Kelly Gibbs was raped, she's diligently working through therapy and still in frequent contact with Detective Jenny Shepard, whom she formed a special bond with during her case/trial. Leroy Jethro Gibbs, too, has benefited from the knowledge and support Jenny has given his daughter, and inevitably finds himself growing closer to her himself. In this tag, he discusses the possibility of dating her with Kelly, as takes the first steps in his relationship with her. _

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**Dates**

**September 1995.**

Jennifer Shepard stared tiredly through the smudged microwave window as if mesmerized by the dim, flickering light inside. She casually wondered if Captain Cragen or this damned appliance was older, and tilted her head, counting down the seconds until her lunch was hot enough to eat. Just outside the break room she could hear the bustle of D.C.'s SVU precinct; every single day here was a buys day, and if there ever came a time when they had no cases—the world would be a better place.

She was taking a moment to remove herself from the stack of offenses on her desk—two statutory rape charges, a folder full of child pornography, and one brutal case concerning the molestation of a toddler. She sighed and shook her head; bad day, it was a bad day.

"Hey, Shep," Olivia Benson poked her head in the room. She jerked her thumb into the squad room. "Agent Gibbs is here for you."

Jenny furrowed her brow and unfolded her arms, turning on her heel and leaving her meal to its own devices—the unappetizing frozen dinner had a minute or so left anyway. She subconsciously brushed strands of hair behind her ears and returned to her desk, leaning against it.

"Gibbs," she greeted, searching his face. "Everything okay?"

He shrugged.

"Peachy," he deadpanned, his eyebrow arching just slightly.

She arched her eyebrow back, placing her hand on her hip. She knew his blue eyes and unreadable, unyielding face were bastions of intimidation for some, but she wasn't one of his punk suspects, and she had never been afraid of him. In fact, she was perhaps the only person who had seen him at his weakest point in life.

She walked around him to her desk and closed some files, finding something to do with her hands and preventing him from getting a peak at the cases. When he was around, she liked to hide anything that might trigger his memory of what had happened to his daughter.

"I was planning on bringing Kelly home," she remarked, looking up at him. She furrowed her brow. "Did she call you?"

He shook his head, and shrugged.

"Nah, closed a case early," he said. "Franks dumped the paperwork on the new kid, figured I'd come take her off your hands."

"I don't mind," Jenny murmured, looking pointedly at his knees. She pursed her lips. "No Elizabeth?" she asked.

He smirked.

"She's with her grandparents."

"Ah," Jenny said. She lifted her shoulders. "Too bad. She brightens my day."

"Yeah, she's cute when you don't have to get her to go to bed," he said dryly.

Jenny grinned, looking at him for a moment, her eyes searching.

"Um," she began tensely. "Well," she glanced at her watch. "Kelly isn't finished until five—"

"Christ. Shepard, will you get your damn food out of the microwave? You aren't the only cop who's starvin'!" groused her dour old partner, marching out of the break room with an annoyed look on his face and cold Chinese in his hands.

John Munch lifted his gnarled hand and gave Gibbs a mocking salute.

"Fed's here again," he grumbled, half to himself, have to Jenny. He pointed her into the break room. "Move your trash."

The redhead smiled at him blithely and beckoned with a small motion to Gibbs, indicating he should follow her. She led him back to where she'd been glaring at her food and wrenched open the microwave, pulling out the frozen dinner and peeling the plastic off.

Gibbs made a face as she picked up a plastic fork from the counter and mixed up the contents.

"You enjoy that?"

"Anything is enjoyable after fifteen hours on the clock," she answered wryly. She held out the fork. "Don't tell me it's all gourmet meals at NCIS."

He shrugged.

"No gourmet," he answered gruffly. "We just send the intern out for pizza."

Jenny raised an eyebrow.

"Munch, microwave's free," she called, and then gathered some food on her fork. "_You_ got an intern?" she asked skeptically, hardly able to imagine Gibbs and his dinosaur of an old fashioned boss putting up with some green college student shuffling around the bullpen.

"Yeah, MIT grad," Gibbs said, rolling his eyes. "McGee. His old man's Navy," Gibbs rolled his eyes. "Tryin' to prove his worth to the guy."

Jenny gestured to the table, and they both sat down, she leaned forward on her elbows, biting into her food and chewing thoughtfully. She put her hand in front of her mouth politely, so he wouldn't see the food in her mouth when she spoke.

"How's that workin' out?"

Gibbs made a face.

"Geek yaks a lot."

"Talks too much? Or upchucks at crime scenes?"

"Both," snorted Gibbs.

"Oooh," sighed Jenny, wrinkling her nose. "Eh, he'll toughen up," she said mildly, shrugging her shoulders.

She took another bite of her meal and watched Gibbs, her brows still up. It wasn't uncommon for him to be at the precinct; he was here at least twice a week to pick Kelly up from therapy with Dr. Huang. Occasionally, Jenny brought Kelly home for him—the same as she sometimes helped take her to and from the new private school Kelly was enrolled in.

Jenny pointed her fork over at the counter.

"Want coffee?"

"It as bad as the NCIS house coffee?" he asked skeptically.

She laughed.

"Not if you add sugar, or stir it with a peppermint stick," she quipped, well aware Gibbs would never engage in any nonsense such as desecrating his precious coffee with sweets.

He glared at her.

"I'll take it black anyway," he muttered.

She started to get up, but he waved his hand and stood.

"I'll get it," he placated, moseying over.

Munch prowled in with his Chinese, eyeing them warily.

"Where did you disappear to?" Jenny asked abruptly. "You were in such a damn rush for me to get my food."

"Got distracted."

"Between the microwave and your desk?"

Munch glared at her and commandeered the microwave, shooting a glare at Agent Gibbs' back. Jenny rolled her eyes and went back to picking her favorite parts out of her frozen dinner, ignoring Munch's less than subtle judgment of her hanging out with Gibbs alone in the break room.

"How're the boys over at the Navy Yard, Gibbs?" Munch asked nosily.

"Pretty blue," Gibbs answered drily, and Munch stared at him for a moment, obviously unsure if he was purposely being funny. He arched a brow and snorted, pulling his food from the microwave when it buzzed.

"Still coverin' up the big time crimes our military commits?"

"Every damn day," Gibbs retorted coolly, sitting back down with his coffee. Munch shot him a look and huffed a bit, snatching chopsticks from the potluck of plastic utensils in a container on the counter. He marched back out of the room, and Jenny laughed quietly, shaking her head, her eyes down.

"Forgive him, as usual," she stated, lifting her for to her lips. She sighed. "Poor thing hates the government so very much."

"Think it's me he hates," Gibbs said good-naturedly.

Jenny wrinkled her nose and shook her head. She swallowed.

"He's like that to everyone," she mumbled. "You know that."

Gibbs mad a skeptical noise, glancing out after Munch. He took a sip of his coffee, and made a distasteful face that she smirked at. They fell into a silence and she glanced at her watch again; Kelly should be finished any moment. Jenny glanced up and Gibbs was looking at her intently; she flushed and bit onto her fork, slightly uncomfortable with his scrutiny.

There relationship was an odd one, but—

She cleared her throat and gestured between them with her fork.

"When did this get so awkward?" she asked, trying half-heartedly to keep it light.

There had always been a very easy sort of repertoire between them, since she'd taken Kelly's case a year and a half ago and vowed to make sure Kelly never fell into the sort of nightmarish coping web Jenny herself had succumbed to. Kelly had a very close bond with Jenny, and Gibbs trusted her with Kelly's life and well-being—and he had badly needed her help in the beginning.

Gibbs smiled mildly, lifting his shoulders.

"July," he pinpointed simply.

"Right, July," she breathed out.

It had been right after Kelly's tenth birthday, and after the cookout, Jenny had stayed at Kelly's request to watch the lengthy old movie DiNozzo had gotten her as a birthday present. Tired from a week of red-eye shifts, she'd fallen asleep on the couch. Gibbs had politely let her sleep while he put the girls to bed, but when he'd tried to gently wake her up, he'd startled her—and it was terrifying for her to wake up suddenly and be unaware of her surroundings. She had panicked and he'd had a hell of a time trying to calm her down without waking his daughters; he had ended up insisting she stay the night because she'd spooked him enough to convince him she didn't need to be alone—and even though he'd stayed on his living room floor and let her have his bed, she'd been gone early the next morning for fear of Kelly and Elizabeth waking up to find her there.

She hadn't wanted to incite awkward questions or upset the girls; Kelly had never been susceptible to excuses and Elizabeth was too old now to be entirely unwitting of what went on around her.

Jenny rubbed her forehead a little insecurely. Gibbs leaned forward, sliding his coffee across the table. He reached out and touched her hand, his fingers tapping against his. She looked at his hand blankly for a moment, still under his touch, and let her fork fall into the plastic container. She curled her hand around his and squeezed.

She leaned on her elbow.

"I wasn't afraid of _you_," she said quietly, earnestly. "You should know that, I," she sighed and clenched her teeth, frustrated. "And I didn't mean too—"

"It didn't bother me, Jen," he said over her, his voice gruff. He flipped her hand over and moved his index finger, showing the thin, almost invisible scar on his hand left from where she'd bitten him when he'd tried to snap her out of her panic.

She winced at the memory, and he laughed easily.

"Didn't hurt," he quipped. "Lizzy was a biter."

She slipped her hand over her mouth and smiled at him.

"Daddy!"

Their attentions turned toward the doorway, and ever so gently and subtly Gibbs removed his hand from hers—though not so quickly as to make her think he didn't want Kelly to see. He broke into a grin when he saw his ten-year-old daughter standing there in her private school uniform, her schoolbag tucked under her arms.

"Hey, Kel!"

She skipped forward, holding the bag close to her stomach. She reached up and pulled a ribbon from her hair, handing it to Jenny.

"Thank you," she said. "I forgot all mine in my ballet bag," she added sheepishly, "and I forgot it at school _again_."

"Kelly," admonished Gibbs lightly.

She frowned, and shrugged.

"Oops," she muttered.

He stood up.

"How did it go?" Jenny asked blithely, leaning forward to Kelly.

"Oh. It was fine," Kelly answered, pausing for a second. "Jenny, Huang told me to try getting a B in school," she said skeptically.

Jenny smiled and reached out to touch Kelly's cheek fondly.

"He wants to make sure you know it's okay not to be perfect."

"But can't I be not perfect by falling in ballet? Do I have to get bad grades in school?"

Jenny giggled.

"You can be imperfect however you want," she said, standing up.

She picked up her half-eaten food and took it with her back to her desk, letting Gibbs and Kelly follow her.

"I thought Jenny was taking me home?"

"Changed my mind," Gibbs answered gruffly. "I thought we'd swing by Grandma's early, pick up Lizzy, and grab dinner wherever you want."

Kelly flipped her hair charmingly and winked at Jenny.

"I love when he coddles me," she trilled, and Jenny laughed at that, too.

Gibbs rolled his eyes with a pained look and ruffled her hair. He took Kelly's bag from her and put it over his shoulder, rummaging in his pocket for his keys, and Kelly leaned on Jenny's desk, her eyes roving over the stacks of files. She frowned for a moment, and then titled her head.

"You should come to dinner," she said. "Please? I only see you on therapy days or when you pick me up, we haven't hung out since my birthday."

"Hey, we went to see _Clueless_!" Jenny reminded her.

"Yeah, silly, but we had to be quiet during the movie," Kelly retorted with a grin. "Can you come? Lizzy wouldn't mind."

Jenny smiled hesitantly.

"I'm afraid I can't, Kelly," she said apologetically. "I don't get off work for another five hours."

Kelly sighed.

"Okay," she said. "You're being a hero, it's cool," she said, smiling a little. She looked at the files again. "Just make sure you get those people's Rat Kings, okay?"

"Okay," Jenny promised, reaching out for the customary hug.

Kelly hugged her tightly and waved goodbye, slipping her hand into her fathers as they started out of the squad room.

"Don't let Lizzy choose dinner, Daddy, she's obsessed with fish sticks and I _don't_ want seafood…"

Jenny smirked to herself as she heard Kelly's bright voice fading, and she swung her feet up onto her desk, balancing her food on her knees and poking around in it thoughtfully. She was letting her mind linger to Gibbs when Munch materialized and slammed a can of soda down on her desk, startling her.

"Dammit, John," she swore, annoyed.

He gave her a searching look, and tilted his head towards the hall where Kelly and Gibbs were getting on the elevator. She gave him a defiant look—she knew Munch had always worried when it came to her relationship with Gibbs, and with good reason, since she'd slept with him during the trial, but there was nothing going on between them, and there hadn't been since that one night of an emotional decision.

"He looks at you," remarked Munch, "different than he used to," he observed warily

She rolled her eyes.

"It's because I bit him," she snapped coolly—and she didn't elaborate.

* * *

Gibbs was well aware his daughter was staring at him in the mirror.

"What?" he asked finally.

He figured they should get it over with, whatever it was, before he got to his mother-in-law's house.

"I saw you holding Jenny's hand," she said ominously, as if she had caught him stealing cookies from the cookie jar.

She raised little eyebrows at him.

"Oh," he muttered, shrugging.

He started to say something else, but realize he didn't have anything to say.

"Why were you holding her hand?" Kelly asked pertly.

"Ah," Gibbs mumbled. "Ah, she was a little upset, that's all."

Kelly wrinkled her nose.

"How was school today?" Gibbs asked.

"It was lame. They made me play dodge ball and I _hate_ dodge ball. I got an A on my math test but I turns out I've been spelling _character_ wrong my entire life, so that was lame, too. Did you know there's an 'h' in it?"

"Yes," he answered, letting out relieved breath.

"Well, so do I, now. Why was Jenny upset?"

Apparently he'd let out the relieved breath too soon.

"Kelly," he sighed. "She just," he paused. "You understand," he tried half-heartedly. "She was just upset."

Kelly stared at him silently.

"Was she upset because of what happened on my birthday?" she asked quietly.

Gibbs looked at her sharply, slowing the car at a traffic stop. He turned around and looked at her for a moment, taking advantage of the red light.

"What do you think happened on your birthday?" he asked gently.

Kelly shrugged in an unconcerned manner.

"I don't know, she was still asleep at our house when I went to bed, and when I got up to get juice, you were asleep on the living room floor. That was weird, but you were snoring so I didn't wake you up. But your bedroom door was closed. So I don't know. I thought maybe Jenny was in there. But, I don't know. Daddy, the light is green."

Gibbs turned around and started driving again, glad she'd warned him before the car behind them could honk. He frowned, thinking through what Kelly had said. He wondered why that day was stuck in her mind, since she didn't know what had gone on—and he wondered why her sneaking through to get juice from the kitchen hadn't woken him up; what the hell kind of Marine was he?

He kept glancing at Kelly in the rearview mirror.

"Is somethin' botherin' you, Kel?" he asked.

She blinked innocently, and shrugged.

"No," she answered. "I just wanted to know why you were holding her hand." Kelly tilted her head and adjusted her seatbelt, shrugging her shoulders again. "Did you make her less upset?"

"I think so, Kelly."

"Okay," Kelly said. "That was nice of you, Daddy."

She leaned against the window and looked out alertly, following the passing cars and trees with her eyes.

"Can we have pizza for dinner?"

"Your grandmother will kill me."

"Well don't _tell_ her—come on, Dad, _please_! I had to play _dodge ball_ today…"

* * *

He acquiesced to pizza because he was tired and he sensed that Kelly had a worse time at therapy than she was letting on. The pizza joint he took them to was brightly coloured and family oriented, though it wasn't one of those arcade areas that Kelly had been at when she'd been raped a year and a half ago. He had thought for a long time that she wouldn't ever want to go to a pizza place again, and he hadn't brought it up—until it came out to Dr. Huang that _she'd_ thought _he_ didn't want her in a pizza place, when the whole time she'd been yearning for pizza.

It was a nice little breath of fresh air to know that for a kid, the desire for junk food was sometimes stronger than childhood trauma.

He didn't have much time to think during dinner, because Elizabeth was in rare form—she had apparently been dragged to several teas with her grandmother, and then forced to sit in a piano lesson given by Joanne herself, and when she finally was back with her dad and her sister, the four-year-old was chattering wildly and attempting to cavort all across the restaurant.

Gibbs had to resort to holding her firmly in his lap to keep her from crawling under the table and tickling Kelly's feet _again_.

Throughout the meal though, in the back of his mind, he was thinking of Jenny, and he was slowly working up the courage to have that talk he'd been meaning to have with Kelly and Lizzy.

He thought part of the reason things had become awkward between him and Jenny after Kelly's birthday party was precisely because they'd gotten effortlessly close without thinking about it, and then that night, when he'd asked her to _stay_ the night, they had seemed to remember that they had slept together before, and they were both human and—well, it had been tempting, at least, on his part.

He had done a lot of thinking about Jenny since then, and he'd come to the sort of vague realization that he was _still_ tempted. Things were a lot more stable in his home these days; Kelly was comfortable and secure in her new school and in therapy. Elizabeth was growing up confident and happy.

He knew there had been a lot of talk about Jenny—mostly instigated by Joanne Fielding—because of how she seemed to hang around his family, but what most didn't understand is that she was there for _Kelly,_ and there really wasn't anything between her and him.

But he was thinking lately that maybe he wanted to start something. It wasn't the first time he'd entertained the idea, but he'd always been wary of pursuing the thought because he wasn't sure if he was interested in _her_ or if he had some skewed attachment to her because of how she was with Kelly. Lately, he didn't really think it was the latter.

He was still thinking about it in the car on the way home, his decision basically made, putting together what he was going to say to his daughters. In the backseat Kelly was trying to playa game with Lizzy, but the younger one was just singing her new favorite song loudly, and Kelly was getting frustrated.

He was relieved when they finally pulled up the home drive.

He rolled his eyes and turned off the car.

"Enough, girls," he said placidly.

"Lizzy, be quiet, will you shut up?"

"IT'S A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL—"

"LIZZY OH MY GOD!"

"Hey!" barked Gibbs, opening Kelly's door. He raised his eyebrow. "Unbuckle and get your butts inside," he said coolly. "The musical's over, Liz," he added pointedly coming around to help her out of her car seat.

"I'm gonna be a rock star," Elizabeth informed him matter-of-factly.

Kelly shut her car door and huffed, darting up to the front door.

"Sure you are," responded Gibbs seriously. "And you're gonna do it quietly."

He handed Kelly the keys so she could open the door, and he and Elizabeth followed her in. The girls removed their shoes in the hall, and Elizabeth started jumping up and down.

"I want to work on the boat!"

"Baths first," Gibbs grunted.

Elizabeth looked startled.

"NO!" she screamed, and threw herself on the floor. She lay there like something dead and Kelly stared at her. Gibbs groaned silently to himself. Ever since she had started at pre-school, where she ran around with mostly boys, she had developed a distinct hatred for bath time.

"Lizzy," Kelly said quietly, glancing at Gibbs. "Maybe if we get baths really quick and are nice about it, we can have ice cream with the boat."

Her eyes met Gibbs over her sister's body; they were both well aware Elizabeth was poised for a full tantrum. He nodded conspiratorially, and Elizabeth peeked up at Gibbs.

"Yes, Daddy?" she asked pitifully, confirming Kelly's suggestion.

"Brand new container of mint chocolate chip in the freezer," he agreed solemnly.

Elizabeth got up and darted to him, hugging his legs. He smiled tiredly, glad _that_ crisis had been diverted. He usually let them have ice cream anyway, but Lizzy was a wild child who lived in the moment, and what wouldn't work to convince Kelly usually worked to placate her.

"Do we still have vanilla?" Kelly asked.

"Yep, saved the last bit for you," Gibbs answered.

"Good," she beamed. "I thought Tony ate it all."

"Yeah, like I'd let DiNozzo eat your ice cream," scoffed Gibbs. "C'mon, I'll run Lizzy's bath. You got homework?"

"A little."

"Finish it while I get the dirt off this munchkin."

"There is no dirt on me," Elizabeth said defiantly, showing him her hands—which were covered in _dirt_ from the floor she'd been on at the pizza place.

"Mmhmm," he muttered skeptically, sweeping her up into his arms and carrying her, giggling madly, into the bathroom down the hall. "Underneath all this dirt somewhere is my little girl…"

He heard Kelly scampering into her bedroom to set up her schoolwork and settled in to a routine of getting them washed, cleaned, and ready for bed at any moment. He was glad Kelly had asked for ice cream, it was best if they were content when he sat them down to talk about Jenny.

"Mike Franks!" he heard Kelly shriek. "Daddy, Mike Franks scratched up my pillows—bad kitty!"

The cat came streaking into the bathroom, and then flew right back out when he heard the water running, and Kelly came in looking ruffled and annoyed. Gibbs looked at the expression on her face, almost a mirror image of her mother's, and he laughed. Distracted by something as simple as a kitten tearing up the pillows, he felt for a rare moment like nothing bad had ever happened—and he liked when those moments manifested.

* * *

"Ah, ah," Gibbs warned, as Elizabeth started to dig into her ice cream. "Wait," he said, handing Kelly hers. "Okay—go!"

Elizabeth giggled, and Kelly smiled, too.

"Why aren't you having any?" she asked.

"'Cause I'm watching my figure," Gibbs deadpanned.

Kelly laughed, and Elizabeth laughed louder; she didn't get the joke, but she knew that if her sister was laughing, something funny was probably happening. Instead of pulling out his tools like he usually did, Gibbs pulled up a stool and sat down on it in front of the girls. Elizabeth swayed back and forth, shoveling ice cream gleefully into her mouth, and Kelly swung her legs from her perch on the boat, arching her eyebrows.

"I need to talk to you, girls," he began firmly.

"It was not me," Lizzy said immediately, pointing her spoon seriously at Gibbs. "It was Tony."

Kelly stared at her.

"Hey, who taught you to blame Tony?"

Elizabeth looked prim.

"Fike Mranks," she answered goofily.

Kelly raised her eyebrows.

Gibbs grinned, and shook his head. He held his hand up to calm them down.

"No one is in trouble," he said seriously. "I just want to talk."

"Okay, well can you hurry?" Kelly said uncertainly. "Because you're being a little weird about it. Does grandma have cancer?"

"_What_? No," he said hurriedly, appalled. "No, this isn't bad, no one's hurt, no one's in trouble—it's about your Mom," he amended.

"Oh," Kelly said.

"What Mom?" Lizzy asked blandly. "I don't have a mom."

"Yes you do," Kelly snapped. "You used to keep her up all night! Just because you don't remember her doesn't mean she didn't exist, _Liz_!"

"Hey, hey," soothed Gibbs. He reached out and patted Kelly's knee, shaking his head. "Don't yell at her, honey," he said quietly. "Lizzy, you do have a mom, okay? And she loved you very much," he said simply.

"What about her, Dad?" Kelly prompted, laying her spoon down pointedly. She rested her ice cream bowl on her knees and waited patiently.

He rubbed his jaw and leaned forward, elbows on his knees, looking at his elder daughter intently.

"It's not all about Shannon, Kelly," he began hesitantly. "I'm just wondering how," he frowned, struggling with the words, "how you would feel if I took Jenny to dinner."

Kelly looked at him blankly.

"I asked her to come to dinner tonight, she was working," she said bluntly. "I feel like I want her to come when she's off work."

"Er," Gibbs cleared his throat. "Kelly," he said, arching his eyebrows, "I mean how would you feel if Jenny and I went out _alone_, as adults?"

Kelly blinked.

"Oh!" she said suddenly. _"Oh,_ you want to go on a date with her!"

Elizabeth's spoon popped out of her mouth and she smacked her lips.

"Let's go to the Zoo with Jenny," she said seriously. "Daddy, I want to see Jenny, I want to show her my new _bruises_—"

"Lizzy, shush, Daddy is having a _moment_," Kelly interrupted loftily. She looked back at him quietly, her small face unreadable and guarded. "Does Jenny want to go on a date with you?" she asked.

"I haven't asked her, Kel," he said honestly. "I'm more worried about you."

"Why? I don't want to be her boyfriend," Kelly said bluntly. "_You_ do."

He laughed nervously.

"That's gettin' a little ahead of yourself," he said mildly. He looked between her and Lizzy. "I don't want to make you two uncomfortable," he said gruffly. "And I know me dating might be a little weird."

Kelly turned to look at her sister.

"Do you care if Daddy dates?"

"It's September fourth," Elizabeth answered.

Kelly giggled, her brows going up. She looked back at Gibbs in amusement.

"She doesn't get it," she remarked.

"No," Gibbs agreed. "Kelly, I'm not worried about Liz. I know it bugs ya, but you've got to understand that she doesn't remember your mom. It doesn't mean anything to her if I go out with another woman. But you," he hesitated, tilting his head.

Kelly crinkled her nose and looked down at her ice cream, stirring it up and swirling it around her spoon. She took a thoughtful bite and let it dissolve in her mouth, chewing on the edge of the spoon.

"Mommy died five years ago," she mumbled. "There aren't really rules about staying unmarried for a while after death anymore…it's okay, Dad, I don't think Mommy would be mad at you."

"Would you be mad at me?"

"No," Kelly said, shrugging her shoulders. "I like Jenny."

Gibbs nodded. He leaned forward and took her chin in his hand gently.

"Kelly, I love your mom," he said softly. "I won't ever forget about her, you understand that?"

"Well duh," she muttered, pointing at her face. "I'm the spittin' image," she said proudly.

He ruffled her hair. Kelly gasped and pushed his hand away, patting down her locks carefully. She took another bite of ice cream, looking at Elizabeth for a moment—who was humming and watching them in a rare bout of silence. Kelly looked back at Gibbs.

"You don't want to just go on one date with her, though," she said slowly. "Do you? She might be upset if you did that. And then she might not want to be here anymore. Daddy," Kelly began seriously, "sometimes people break up when they date. Tony's dates never like him anymore."

Gibbs nodded.

"I know," he said honestly. "And it's up to Jenny whether or not she wants to say yes, but I promise you, Kelly, nothing that happens between Jenny and I will change how much she cares about _you. _She is much too smart and grown-up to let it," he leaned forward thoughtfully. "I don't think it will come to that, though," he told her seriously.

"But you don't know."

"I have a good feeling," he said gruffly.

Elizabeth dropped her spoon clumsily on the basement floor.

"Oops," she said blithely. She handed her bowl to Gibbs and stood on the boat, hanging on the ribs for support, on her tiptoes.

"Be careful, Liz," he growled.

"I know," she said smugly. "You want to eat spaghetti with Jenny like _Lady and the Tramp_."

Kelly burst into giggles. Elizabeth smirked to know she'd caused them, and pointed at Gibbs matter-of-factly.

"Do you like Jenny?" she interrogated.

He grinned, overwhelmed by her cute attitude for a moment. He mulled it over for a moment, and decided to admit what he'd probably been feeling for a good half a year now.

"Yes."

"Do you want to kiss her?" Elizabeth trilled.

He reached out and snatched her into his lap, ruffling her hair with a well-placed kiss to her temple.

"Maybe," he grumbled. "Have to see if she likes me first."

Elizabeth snuggled up to him. She sighed contently and closed her eyes.

"Okay I'm going to bed," she announced seriously. "I'm coming to the zoo with you and Jenny," she added.

"Sissy, it's a grown-up date, we can't go," Kelly said lightly. She turned her wide, smart eyes on Gibbs and he raised his eyebrows, expecting another question. "Daddy, are you going to have sex with her?"

"_Kelly_!" he said in a strangled tone, shocked.

"_What_?" she retorted, shrinking back a little.

He thought it might be the first time he'd blushed since sex education in the sixth grade when the old bat of a teacher had put female diagrams on the projector.

Elizabeth popped an eye open uninterestedly.

Gibbs knew Kelly was preciously curious about sex due to her assault, and he'd done a fairly good job of dealing with it with the help of Jenny, Dr. Huang, and her school counselors, but he hadn't expected her to question him so abruptly about his personal life.

"Kelly," he said firmly, "you cannot ask things like that."

"Why _not_?" she demanded. "Dr. Huang says I should ask my questions, even if the adults thinks it's awkward."

"I guarantee you he didn't mean things like that," Gibbs said dryly. "He means questions about, uh," Gibbs faltered. "That's very personal, Kelly," he tried again. "And that's not—that isn't what I'm thinking about when I say I want to take her on a date."

Kelly snorted.

"My friend Nina says all boys think about is sex. You're a boy," she pointed out.

"No, I'm a man," he retorted, arching his brows. "And Nina needs to keep her thoughts to herself," he added.

He sighed and ran his hand back through his hair.

"You can ask me questions if you have them," he said, "but not about things like that. And you can't ask Jenny, either, okay? It might embarrass her."

"I'm sorry I embarrassed _you_," Kelly said, eyes still wide and observant. "But I just want you to know I think Jenny is scared of sex."

"Why do you think that, Kel?"

"Because _I_ am," Kelly said starkly. She took another few thoughtful bites of ice cream. "And I don't want to do it _ever._ So maybe she doesn't. I don't know. She said she's done it though. But people who date and get married always do it. So don't scare her, okay?"

Gibbs stared at her dryly. He felt a little sheepish and abashed to be talked to this way, and he wasn't sure what to say to Kelly in response. He knew she was thinking from a limited, ten-year-old's perspective, but he was still apprehensive about it. It irked him to know that if he was out with Jenny, his daughter might be at home thinking up lewd scenarios about it.

"Okay," he said slowly. "Kelly, I won't scare Jenny."

"Okay," Kelly repeated. She got quiet and looked down at her feet for a moment, taking a deep breath. "I think she likes you," she murmured, looking back up.

"Do you now?" he asked conversationally. "Why's that, Miss Gibbs?"

"Because," Kelly said unhelpfully, and then sucked her spoon clean. "Because she looks at you sometimes like Buttercup looks at Westley."

Gibbs snorted.

"Who?"

"It's a movie, Daddy," Kelly said, rolling her eyes. "You're hopeless," she muttered, shaking her head. She licked her lips. "And she didn't want you to stop holding her hand today, I could tell."

Gibbs fell silent, smiling a little. Kelly pointed at Elizabeth.

"Since she's asleep, can I have her ice cream?"

"Yeah," sighed Gibbs grudgingly. "I guess."

Kelly smiled primly and pulled the second bowl onto her lap.

She looked at Gibbs matter-of-factly.

"I knew you came early to hang out with her," she said loftily. "Same reason Intern McGee always volunteers to take evidence to Abby," she pointed out.

Gibbs' eyes narrowed.

"Hm, good point," he muttered suspiciously.

He glanced down at Elizabeth, and Kelly leaned forward and poked him hard in the knee.

"When are you going to ask her?"

* * *

He decided he'd pull the same stunt the next time Kelly was at therapy, and showed up a little early to pick her up. Jenny was on the phone, and it sounded like she was pissed. A quick word with Detective Benson told him she was arguing with a defense attorney.

"Can I-?" Benson held out her arms for Lizzy.

He handed her over willingly; Elizabeth loved Olivia and Olivia enjoyed playing with her just as much. On the occasions he brought her in when he was retrieving Kelly, she always attached herself directly to Benson.

Jenny slammed down her phone and stood up, shoving her chair back, just as Olivia was dancing away with Elizabeth. He strolled up to her, hands in his pockets, and tilted is head, trying to catch her eye. She looked over at him.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Fine," she snapped. "Fine," she repeated, sighing quietly. She put her hand over her mouth and then tossed her hair back. "Stabler scared the shit out of a teenaged perp, and now the defense attorney's crying foul big time."

"So, you'll fight 'em back."

"Not that easy," she growled. "Elliot has a history of scaring people shitless."

Gibbs gave her a sympathetic look.

"Yeah, been there."

She smirked emptily, and cocked an eyebrow.

"I take it Franks doesn't coddle?"

Gibbs snorted abruptly, and she grinned and straightened up. She looked at her watch.

"You're early again," she remarked.

"Couldn't resist that top shelf coffee," he deadpanned.

She shoved her hand into his chest, rolling her eyes, and tilted her head, leading him into the break room again. She poured two Styrofoam cups and then went about sugaring hers up; he stepped up next to her and put his hands around his. Her arm brushed his as she stirred her coffee and she turned around, leaning against the counter.

"Kelly told me her first ballet recital this season is in October," she remarked mildly. "She said she's not upset she didn't get the lead."

"She's a teacup," Gibbs said gruffly. "_Beauty and the Beast_," he clarified. He shrugged. "Her dancing suffered for a while there. She knows it. She's okay."

"Mmm," murmured Jenny. "She asked me to help her with make-up for the show. Wants to borrow my lipstick."

Gibbs tilted his head at her.

"Not that red?" he asked warily.

Jenny laughed.

"I said she could use the light pink," she placated. "But she got me wonderin', who did her make-up for all the other recitals? After your wife died?"

"Oh," Gibbs muttered. "I tried once. _That_ ended in tears. Maddie's mom, usually," he answered. "I think she feels left out, though, when she has to share a Mom. So," he said slowly, "it's good she asked you."

"I'm glad you think so," Jenny said, relieved. "I said yes. I thought it might," she hesitated, "I don't know, bother you. Me being there in that capacity. Usurping—Shannon's place?"

Gibbs shook his head. He swallowed, thinking about it for a moment.

"No, she trusts you. It's okay. If it's okay with her," he said gruffly.

Jenny smiled anxiously. She took a drink of coffee, and looked out to where Benson was playing with Elizabeth.

"How's Lizzy doing in pre-school?"

Gibbs rolled his eyes.

"She tackled a classmate today."

"_Tackled_?"

"Tackled," he confirmed grimly. "Claimed she was saving him from a cicada."

Jenny smirked.

"Was she?"

"Who knows," Gibbs snorted. "Lizzy's a disaster."

"No, she's wonderful," Jenny said firmly.

He looked over at her—no hesitation, just like that, she liked his kids. He was reminded of one of the reasons he was growing increasingly fond of her, and he turned towards her slightly, looking at her until he was positive he'd made her nervous and she cleared her throat.

"Is there something on my face?" she muttered into the rim of her cup.

He laughed.

"No."

"Okay."

"Jen?"

"_What_?" she asked quietly, exasperated.

"Do you want to go to dinner some time?" he asked simply. He pointed to himself around his coffee cup. "With me."

Her teeth clamped lightly around the rim of her cup and she closed her eyes. She was very still for a moment, and she looked over at him—almost _shyly_, like she was a teenager. She closed her lips, and then pulled the cup away from her mouth.

"Romantically?" she asked.

"'M not promising candles, but," he broke off charmingly, and she laughed a little. She took a sip of coffee again, turned around, and placed the cup carefully on the counter. They were facing the same direction now, though he was focused on her angled slightly towards her.

She pulled her hair off her neck and held it in her hand over one shoulder. She seemed to be thinking.

"That is a good question," she remarked thoughtfully. "I would," she said, inclining her head.

He smiled.

"But. I don't think you fully grasp what you're getting into."

"Just dinner, Jen," he soothed calmly.

She nodded, and looked at him simply, still holding her hair.

"Yes," she agreed. "I've told you before I'm fucked up."

"Yeah," he said gruffly, acutely remembering that the last time she'd said that was right before they'd slept together. "And I didn't exactly run the other direction."

"I might bite you again," she said dully.

He snorted.

"Told you, it didn't bother me," he reminded her.

She lifted her hands to her cheeks and pressed, blinking her eyes. He thought for a startling moment that she was going to cry, but she just sucked in her breath and tilted her head back.

"I like you, Jethro," she said hoarsely.

He touched her wrist, and then put his arm gently around her shoulders, his fingers pressing lightly into her arm. He leaned closer, his lips close to her ear, lowering his voice.

"I like you, Jen," he said quietly.

She smiled genuinely, and turned her head towards him, biting her lip.

"Your daughters," she said hesitantly. "I don't want them to think," she sighed. "It seems difficult. I don't want to hurt them, or—"

"I talked to Kelly," Gibbs said calmly. "She asked me not to scare you."

Jenny laughed. She nodded as if she understood, and she reached up to grab his hand, squeezing it tightly. Her fingers ran over the scar she'd left on his hand and she took a deep breath, turning to him. She bit her lip.

"May I have a condition?"

He nodded, brows furrowing curiously.

"I like you," she repeated. "I want to…take it slow…physically," she forced out gently, cheeks flushing slightly.

He shrugged lightly.

"It's dinner," he said firmly. "Dinner again, if that goes well. And Liz wants to go to the zoo with you," he rolled his eyes, and smirked at her. He glanced out the door and lowered his voice. "I'm not expectin' you to sleep with me, Jen," he said honestly.

"Oh, I'm not saying I won't," she corrected, brows going up. "I need it to be on my terms."

He just nodded, showing her it was up to her. She laced her fingers into his.

"Um."

Benson cleared her throat from the doorway and Jenny turned. Munch was standing behind her, with Lizzy on his shoulders. Munch turned is usual suspicious glare on Gibbs, and Jenny took her time mildly extricating herself from Gibbs. He turned to face the two detectives with practiced nonchalance and took a sip of his coffee.

Kelly pushed through them from behind, her hair tied up in a ribbon, again in her private school uniform. She stomped her foot and glared up at Munch.

"Detective Munch if you butted your grumpy head in I will be so angry," she said matter-of-factly. "Daddy is asking Jenny on a _date_," she hissed.

"Oh?" Benson asked, her dark, pretty eyebrows rising into her hairline.

Jenny rolled her eyes and cleared her throat, pushing her hair back and holding it on top of her head.

"It's September tenth," Lizzy piped up seriously.

Kelly giggled at the puzzled expression on Benson and Jenny's faces.

"She doesn't know what dates are," Kelly supplied, and walked over to her father.

She stood next to him and looked at Jenny uncertainly.

"Did _I _spoil it?" she asked suddenly.

"No," she said warmly. "He asked me already."

Kelly looked relieved.

"Well I'm not supposed to ask you personal questions, so you don't have to tell me what you said."

Jenny smiled.

"I've said yes," she answered anyway. She winked. "And he didn't scare me."

Kelly beamed, and leaned against her father's side. Lizzy pulled Munch's hair and he swing her down, setting her on the floor. She pranced over towards Jenny and attempted to crawl up her legs.

"The date is at the zoo," she informed Jenny seriously.

"Lizzy, for the last time, they go alone," Kelly preached.

Jenny laughed.

"You can come," she said to Lizzy. "We'll take a zoo trip. You can be my chaperone," she said wryly.

Kelly crossed her arms.

"Daddy, don't let Lizzy ruin your date," she said, annoyed.

He shrugged.

"Ah, we'll go to the zoo," he said lightly. "Then I'll leave you two with Abs," he said ominously.

Jenny smiled. Kelly seemed satisfied, and reached out to pull Lizzy away from Jenny. Gibbs ignored Munch's protective glare and brushed Jenny's hand with his lightly, satisfied—in fact, it had been a while since he felt like he had done something absolutely right, and something in his gut told him that even if it was going to raise questions from the people like his mother-in-law, Mike Franks, and John Munch, going with his gut when it came to Jenny was right—for Kelly, and himself.

* * *

_*reference to 1987's The Princess Bride_

_Elizabeth is probably my favorite child to write. Used the SVU characters, from the original fic (and, er, the original TV show, haha).  
feedback appreciated  
-Alexandra_


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